Universal lamp-base.



L. O. UEBER.

UNIVERSAL LAMP BASE.

APPLICATION FILED 050.27, 1915.

Patented July 3, 19170 1 %3L75&

other. away with the twisting of a cord which may a Louis 0. Linens, or LOS enemas, camromvra.

UNIVERSAL LAMP-BASE.

memes.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LOUIS O. LIEBER, a citizen of theUnited States, residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles, State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Universal Lamp-Bases, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates generally to a connecting or joint forming device which is particularly useful as a universal lamp base adapted to be inserted in any kind of a lamp socket; or it is, particularly useful for any similar kind of electrical connection;

lit is an object of this invention to provide a simple joint forming; electrical contact device"which may be put together or released by a comparatively small movement; which may be manipulated quickly and without the necessity of rotation through more than a small part of acomplete revolution. As applied to lamp bases and similar electrical ccnnections my device has several distinctive utilities; and among these I may particularly mention thefact that an electrical connection may be made or broken very quickly with my device and also'that the connections may be made or broken without the necessity of much relative turning of one part in the This last mentioned feature does be attached to the joint forming. member;

and does away with the necessity of swivel joints in electrical plugs and the like.

The nature of my invention, and the specific details of preferred forms thereof, are explained in the following specification, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, in which, for the purpose of this specification, l have illustrated preferred forms of my invention. In these drawmgs Figure.

1 is a view, partially in section, showing my invention appiied to an electric lamp, Fig. 2

is a section of thelamp base taken as indicated by line 22 on Fig. 1, Fig. 3 1s a section similar to that of Fig. 2 showing av modified form of device, and Fig. 4 1s a view similar to Fig. 1 showing my invention applied to an electric plug.

in the drawings 1 have illustrated a typi cal form of socket 10, which forms the exterior member of my connection device in the form of that device shownin Fig. 1. This socket has th s usual interiorlv threaded socket member 11 into which the usually screw threaded base of lamp 12 is adapted to be rotated. The lamp 12 in this instance Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed December 27, 1915.

shown in Fig. 1,. y

In the form shown in Figs. 1 and 2 this lnterior member 13 is composed of an outer- Serial No. eaves.

is provided with a plain cylindrical base 13, which 1s the interior member of my joint forming or connection device in the form cylindrical part 15 having a circumferential slot 16 extending a short distance around the member 15. Within the member 15 there is an inner part or member 1 1, also .pr 'e' ferably cylindrical, and arranged eccentrically of the member 15, so that its surface forms an eccentric surface upon which the ball 17 may roll. The ball 17 rolls in the slot 16 onthe eccentric surface of member Patented July a, rare. I

14, between the positions shown in full and" dotted lines in Fig. 2. When the ball is in theposition shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2, it does not project, or projects very little beyond the outer surface of member 15; while when it is in the position shown in full lines, it projects substantially beyond the outer surface of member 15, as is shown in Fig. 1. When in the position shown in dotted lines the ball should preferably promember 13 is turned the outer part of the ball may engage with the inner surface of the member 11 to cause the ball to roll toward its other position. "The ball is of slightly greater diameter thanthe width of slot 16 so that the ball cannot pass wholly outwardly through the slot and drop out, the ball being retainingly carried by the interior member 13 as herein set forth. In

with the usual insulating substance as indicated at 2-2.

In using my improved lamp base, the base is inserted in any socket by a longi- .ject asmall amount so that when the inner tudinal movement and is then given a small turn. The ball 17 rolls from the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2 to the position shown in full lines in that figure; and in this position the ball will engage in the screw threads of the socket member 11. The power with which the ball is forced outwardly against the outer member will depend upon the extent of circumferential movement of the ball and the steepness of the incline (or eccentricity of member 14) the plug is inserted in a socket.

backward motion of the inner member. The

rolling ball is preferred to a sliding button or block or the like for the further reason that the ball ,does not mar or deform the outer member by its action. In fact, it will be seen that the ball, or any equivalent member will engage in any depression or opening which may be provided in the interior surface of member 11, whether that depression or opening be helical or screw threaded or of any other form. Thus my device provides a universal lamp base which will engage in any of the usual and ordinary forms of lamp sockets; and which may be engaged by a very small turn, in fact a small fraction of a revolution. When the part 13 is used, a plug with a cord .attached, it will be seen that the cord will not be twisted to any great extent when (See Fig. 4., where the plug is indicated by the numeral 13 and the .cord by numeral 12 And this feature of my device eliminates entirely the necessity for any swivel connection in the plug. Moreover, .in making any kind of an electrical connection with.

my device, it is seen that the connection is easily and quickly made, and'as, e quickly broken; and this," feature in enabling the [quid the are between electrical. ordinary screw threaded socket'-. an

P the electrical connectlon 1s 'slewly tbroke'ri} and the contact pieces move i awaylafromf each other very slowly, -allowing a'iipro longed arc to take place between the' contact pieces. In my device the contact is quickly broken and the parts may then be moved quickly away from each other.

In Fig. 3 I have shown a modified form of the inner member 10-. Here the ball 17 rolls in a circumferential slot 16 and rolls on the eccentric surfacehof a member 14 which need not be a completecylinder but may extend only through a portion of the circumference of member 10, or may extend only behind the slot 16. Such variations as herein explained, and others. will occur to those skilled in the art; and I accordingly do not limit myself. to the particular modifications herein explained.

It will be noted that the essential characteristic of my device is the provision for operation in the manner explained; viz, insertion by longitudlnal movement and locking by rotary movement, the two movements being independent of each other. In other words, the plug is longitudinally movable in the socket and rotatable therein without these two movements being interdependent as in the ordinary screwthreaded form of plug and socket.

Having described preferred forms of my invention, I claim:

1. An electrical joint forming device, embodying a hollow cylindrical outer member and a cylindrical inner member adapted for movement independently longitudinally and rotatively in said outer member, said outer member having a circumferentially elongated depression in its inner sin'face,

a surface carried by the inner cylindrical member eccentric thereto, and a ball carried by said inner member and adapted to roll on said eccentric surface and to engage in f said depression.

2. An electrical joint forming'device, embodying a hollow cylindrical outer member internally screw threaded, an inner cylin- -drical member adapted for movement independently longitudinally and rotatively in said outer member and having a circumferential slot, and an interior surface behind said slot eccentric to the member itself, and a ball in said slot running on said eccentric surface and adapted to engage in the screw threads of the outer member.

3. An'electrical joint forming device, embodying a pair of substantially cylindrical members. one freely movable independently longitudinally and rotatively within the i-.; =-zother, a rolling locking member retainingly rr ied by one of the cylindrical members o ectmg therefrom to engage the other ember. and means to cause movement of dri-cal member by virtue of relative rotatio'nl of the two cylindrical members one-- within the ot'heri 4. An electrical joint forming device, embodying a pair of substantially cylindrical members, one freely movable independently longitudinally and rotatively within the- L. o. LIEBER.

day of December, 1915.

Witnesses:

B. B. Gar-soar, 7 JAMES T.-BARKELEW.

hej ilocking member toward the other cylin- 

